Using kernel and file system in QEMU

If prefer to using kernel and file system separately in QEMU, get an disk img ready and use:

qemu -hda disk.img -kernel your_kernel -append "root=/dev/sda"

work with QEMU Linux-0.2.img and 2.6.38.1 kernel

AT&T T-Mobile Merger

This merger just reminds me of the Chinese market where China Mobile and Unicom are the only two companies that offer wireless services (later China Telecom struggled to blend in). And all Chinese customers pay ridiculously high fee for every wireless service. Cannot believe this kind of thing will ever happen in the USA.

How to add google code as Maven remote repository

onejar-maven-plugin.googlecode.com

http://onejar-maven-plugin.googlecode.com/svn/mavenrepo

Set environment variable for sudo in Ubuntu

(1) edit /etc/environment
(2) edit /etc/bash.bashrc
(3) use sudo -E to use the user's variables

Blank page before the title page in Latex

If after compiling, there is a blank page before the title page, it's mostly likely that the "\thanks" part is outside of the "\author".

Destiny

Every creature has its own destiny to fulfill.
The path set for it is pre-determined by the universe.

Sometimes,
it will desperately strive to blend in the groups that are out of its league,
but in vain.

Destiny will sometimes let it try and have some experience from those groups.
But in the end,
inevitably,
it will be reset to its own league,
living back to its own world.

How marvellous!

You will know it when you get what it takes,
luck will never be your side, not even occasionally.

Tape sort on 4k-by-4k matrix

Q: How to transpose row-major 4k-by-4k matrix stored on magnetic tape?

A: First prepend the column and row numbers to each element, then tape sort by column numbers then by row numbers, then remove the column and row numbers.
For example: there is a row-major matrix stored on the tape

3 2 1
4 5 7
6 2 3

So on the tape it will be like {3,2,1,4,5,7,6,2,3}

Prepend column and row numbers to each element:
[0,0]3 [1,0]2 [2,0]1
[0,1]4 [1,1]5 [2,1]7
[0,2]6 [1,2]2 [2,2]3

Sort by column number then by row number, on tape it will be like

{[0,0]3,[0,1]4,[0,2]6, [1,0]2,[1,1]5,[1,2]2, [2,0]1,[2,1]7,[2,2]3}